1. Field of Technology
This application generally relates to methods for forming wear resistant layers on surfaces of metallic articles of manufacture (i.e., substrates). The wear resistant layers may provide resistance to wear caused by abrasion, impact, erosion, corrosion, and/or heat.
2. Description of the Background of the Technology
Wear resistant materials may be applied as coatings to protect metallic substrates from degradation due to mechanical, chemical, and/or environmental conditions. For example, methods of coating or hardfacing metallic substrates may involve applying a hard, wear resistant material to a surface of the metallic substrate to reduce wear caused by abrasion, impact, erosion, corrosion, and/or heat. A variety of conventional methods may be utilized to apply wear resistant material to the surface of metallic substrates. In hardfacing, for example, a wear resistant layer may be welded onto the surface of a metallic substrate. In another method, a wear resistant layer is applied to the surface of the metallic substrate using a viscous paste, usually in the form of a flexible sheet or cloth, at an elevated temperature. Conventional wear resistant materials are commercially available from, for example, Kennametal Inc. (under the trade name CONFORMA CLAD), Innobraze GmbH (under the trade name BRAZECOAT), and Gremada Industries (under the trade name LASERCARB). The wear resistant materials may be applied to articles subjected to wear such as, for example, extruders, containers, gear boxes, bearings, compressors, pumps, pipes, tubing, molding dies, valves, reactor vessels, and components of mining and earth moving equipment.
Conventional methods for applying wear resistant material to surfaces of metallic substrates may suffer from one or more of the following limitations: conventional wear resistant materials may be difficult to apply to the internal surfaces and geometrically complex surfaces of certain metallic substrates using conventional application methods; conventional methods may limit the thickness and coverage area of the wear resistant layer; the possible composition of wear resistant materials may be limited because many conventional application methods require complete melting of the materials during application; and conventional application methods may be time consuming and expensive.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide improved methods for applying wear resistant materials to surfaces of metallic substrates.